Coloradans pressed Sen. Cory Gardner on health care during the Republican’s first solo, in-person town hall in more than a year.

Gardner wasn’t the only Republican senator who faced angry constituents this week, as Sen. Johnny Isakson held a contentious town hall in Georgia on Monday. The two Republicans heard a similar tune from their respective crowds, as people voiced concerns over healthcare.

A new Retuers/Ipsos poll found that only 29 percent of Americans said health care reform was their top priority. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

A majority of Americans want members of Congress to ditch health care reform efforts and focus their attention elsewhere, according to a Reuters/Iposos poll conducted after the Senate Republicans’ effort crashed early Friday.

The new poll shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans want to keep the 2010 health care law, either “entirely as is” or after reforming “problem areas.” This was an increase from January, when just over half of Americans agreed with that sentiment.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-MT., pictured here shortly before he announced his retirement in 2013, solicited Republican opinions when he was tasked with crafting a template for the Affordable Care Act in 2009. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

Missteps, miscalculations and mistakes have almost defined efforts to repeal Obamacare.

Some political theorists and economists — including conservatives — suggest that one of the biggest mistakes may be the reluctance by Republicans to acknowledge that significant parts of the Affordable Care Act were based on conservative principles.

Missteps, miscalculations and mistakes have almost defined efforts to repeal Obamacare.

Some political theorists and economists — including conservatives — suggest that one of the biggest mistakes may be the reluctance by Republicans to acknowledge that significant parts of the Affordable Care Act were based on conservative principles.

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain is currently recovering at home from a supraorbital craniotomy performed at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix on Friday to remove a two-inch blood clot in his brain.

With insurance, the average cost of his surgery is estimated to be anywhere from fully covered to $5,000, depending on the patient’s income and the annual deductible of the insurance plan. Without insurance, the surgery would cost the patient around $100,000.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, arrives for the the unveiling of the Senate Republicans’ new version of health care plan on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Two of the nation’s largest health care insurance companies called on the Senate to strike an amendment by Sen. Ted Cruz to their health care bill, saying it would “undermine protections for those with pre-existing medical conditions.”

Cruz’s amendment to the Better Care Reconciliation Act would allow insurers to sell low-cost policies that don’t meet existing federal regulations so long as they also offer one plan that does include services required under the Affordable Care Act, such as prescription drug
coverage.